Hyundai Motor and Kia have launched construction of the group’s first large-scale, battery-specialized research and development campus, called Future Mobility Battery Campus, located in the Fifth General Industrial Complex in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province. The project represents an investment of about 1.2 trillion won and will feature roughly 111,000 square meters of floor area. The campus is scheduled to be completed by late 2026. Until now, Hyundai and Kia performed battery research across multiple centers (such as Namyang and Uiwang), focusing mainly on early design and cell-level development. The new campus will centralize and expand that work to cover the entire battery lifecycle — from material and cell design, through full cell production (electrode making, assembly, activation), all the way to integration and testing within actual vehicle-realistic conditions. This aims to let the companies internally verify not just design, but also manufacturing process, quality, safety, and performance under real-world driving conditions. The hub will also allow the development of high-performance lithium-ion battery cells intended for next-generation electric vehicles (EVs) and extended-range EVs (EREVs), while giving Hyundai/Kia the ability to respond flexibly to evolving battery and mobility trends by expanding research into different battery types and applications. Company officials say the Battery Campus is a strategic move to “internalize” core battery technologies — including cell design, process engineering, and control systems tied to vehicles — giving Hyundai Motor Group stronger competitiveness in the global electrification market. It also forms part of its broader vision for future mobility including EVs, robotics, and advanced-air-mobility systems. (ICE SEOUL)

Fonte notizia: KOREA JOONGANG DAILY